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Mourning The End of Summer

Back here on a Friday hitting the blog up with another mini-post! What are you up to this weekend? Let us know below in the comments! As for us, Caitlin is headed up north trying to soak up the last bits of summer. She’s hoping to do some fishing, some biking, and get some quality Grandma and cousin time. As for me, I’m going camping/tubing for one more trip down the river, while the weather still holds. It should be a bit more bearable for sleeping this time, as July didn’t really cool off overnight at all.

With the lack of heat/humidity, we’re shifting gears. If you follow us on Instagram you’ll notice the feed took a dark turn. Consider it us mourning the end of Summer as Labor Day swoops in on us. Already, we’re noticing a certain chill in the air that can’t be attributed to anything other than Fall’s arrival. 

Luckily, we’ve been sucked into the wormhole that is Fall fashion, so we’re not dreading it as much as we were a month ago. Everywhere we look are gorgeous autumnal hues and textures! There is something about Fall fashion that makes you want to just wear the richest colors. All of the golds and burgundy and oranges. That doesn’t even take into consideration all of the different animal prints we’re obsessing over right now either. 

So if we have to enter Fall, at least we can do it right! Well dressed and ready to take on the cooler weather. Plus, who doesn’t love some layering? Obviously, the sun is preferred, but cozy sumptuous fabrics are a close runner up. We can’t wait to share some amazing new to us clothing, that will be your new go-to for some serious statement pieces. 

In the meantime, Caitlin is wearing the perfect transitional dress. Ok, it’s actually the most perfect dress for everything. Why you might be wondering? Well, it ticks off a bunch of mandatory boxes for her. Number one is the slub material. It’s a thicker material, like jersey, but looks a lot more professional. Therefore it’s ridiculously comfortable but looks really put together, enough that she is able to wear it to work. The collar and pockets on the bust all help towards making it work-friendly as well. 

Plus you know we love the military-inspired looks. This type of dress can be worn in so many scenarios. You can dress it down for the weekend, or even wear it to travel if you need to look a bit more put together at the airport. It would also be super easy to throw a long sleeve shirt underneath to wear in colder weather along with a pair of tights or knee-high boots. Plus although we’re all into the fall tones, you can never go wrong with wearing black no matter what the season. 

If you’re feeling the military vibes you can head back to our last military-inspired look here to see this dress:

I hope y’all have an awesome last weekend before Labor Day! 

Outfit Details

Caitlin’s dress is linked below, along with other great work dress options!

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No Minimizing this Maxi

A lot of ladies are constantly on the hunt for maxi dresses. We feel your pain on that, as they can be difficult at times to find. But, we have had great success with Asos’ maxi dress options. Today we’re just hopping on to do a mini-post one of the dresses we received from our Asos visit. Initially, I was going to keep this dress, but I ended up passing it onto Caitlin. 

As Caitlin is much bustier than I am, she decided to take it to the tailor to get the neckline sewn up to a much more comfortable height. The beauty is, although it’s sewn up, the shoulder ties are adjustable, so you can still raise or lower a bit to whatever you’d like. 

I don’t consider this a true maxi, but kind of the same deal with jeans that whatever length goes right now! Sometimes it’s nicer for walking that your dress hem isn’t getting caught up in your step, as I find with some floor-grazing dresses I’ve worn. Plus the ruffle hem is a darling detail and is accentuated by ended around the ankle. 

This maxi is subtle, being all black but it has little details that make it stand out. The tie shoulders, the plunging neckline, and the grid print all add up to a great Summer option. Caitlin wore this to brunch to celebrate a friend’s baby shower and was perfectly dressed (pun intended). 

Plus this will transition into Fall, by throwing a jean jacket over it, and could also pair with some converse Chuck Taylors. If we haven’t convinced you that you need Chuck Taylors yet, you definitely do! They are our go-to’s for more of a street look. Or the other option is to throw on a pair of heels and dress it up if you have an event to attend and some funky jewelry. The opportunities are endless, plus this is under $50!

Let us know below, where you like to shop for maxis!

Outfit Details

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An Elegant Moment with Vionic

Despite our best efforts of pretense that Fall isn’t imminent; the weather is squashing our hopes of holding it off. If one more person says that they feel Fall in the air, I’m going to move to a southern state. Just kidding, but you get the picture. We’re having the time of our lives this summer! Just last Thursday we were at Irish Fest, which was our first experience attending. If you missed our post, check it out here. Spoiler alert, there was a lot of food involved.

Luckily the one thing we can and do look forward to, is, of course, FALL FASHION. There is just something so exciting about the turn of the weather. Meaning you can reinvent yourself and your style. We’re constantly inspired by new items dropping and whether we have the pieces already to remix or if we’re on the hunt to add something to our closets.

That was certainly the case with these new shoes from Vionic. They are the Evelyn Derby, and aren’t they exquisite? I’ve always wanted to have a pair of masculine work-appropriate shoes, and they fulfill everything I’ve ever dreamed of. I think the best part is how small they make my feet look. That is obviously no simple task for size 13. You might be wondering, size 13?! But they only go up to size 12! Well, I removed the insoles and they fit very comfortably. 

It is also worth noting that the width is medium. I have narrow long feet, and they fit easily. For someone with wider feet, I wouldn’t recommend. They are completely luxe feeling, which can be attributed to the nubuck leather that they are made of. A lot of times with pricier shoes, I wonder where the money is going. Their fabric choices don’t align with the price tag. That definitely is not the case here. I can feel the quality as I stroll in these shoes. 

They’re described as elegant, and I couldn’t agree more. The streamlined style is simple, yet makes a strong statement. The ribbon laces ensure a still feminine feel, which is so important to me. Being tall, I already make a strong statement. I know I can make a statement without saying a word. Although I completely love the masculine looks I see on other women, it’s still important for me that I have a piece of femininity to my look, and I think the ribbon detail pulls it off easily.

I can see these shoes being worn with so many different fall looks. They are meant to be seen, so definitely with ankle-length pants, or with a dress or skirt. Plus they’ll be easy to grab since all Vionic shoes are made with comfort in mind. That’s what happens when they’re founded and designed by a podiatrist! Caitlin debuted her pair a couple of weeks ago, and you can read more about Vionic in that post here.

For this look, I wanted a fierce, chic all-black work look. I’ve had these cigarette style pants from Asos for a couple of years now. They are the perfect straight leg pant and always make for an effortless work-appropriate look. Plus, they are inexpensive and made for tall women, you can’t beat that! My closet has definitely been filling up with Asos’ other work pant options. The blouse is also from Asos but is John Zack tall. While the length in the torso is amazing, the sleeves are lacking the length I need. Luckily this is Caitlin’s blouse, and her arms are a bit shorter. 

Basically, if Fall has to show up, I’m glad I’m prepared for it with these Vionic shoes. Not only are they in style, but they’re a timeless option as well which helps justify the cost. I’m definitely more of a shoe person than a purse person, and Vionic shoes definitely have me feeling like my best self. If you haven’t perused Vionic or this is your first time hearing about them, check them out below! Also, sound off below or on Instagram if you’d like to see them carrying more extended sizes for the many of us above size 12!

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Never Feeling Giltee about this Company

Another weekend of Summer down, and we certainly feel the end rapidly approaching. All the more reason to soak up as much as we can while it lasts. We had a fun full weekend of outdoor activities (what’s new, right?!). Friday night we met up in the park for some pick-up volleyball games. It’s always a relaxing time to hang with friends and be active. Saturday we celebrated our Mom’s birthday by having some family pool time and then doing some brewery hopping later in the day. Definitely, something our family can rally behind! 

We’re back today talking a local company we love: Giltee. As much as we like to dress up and be super girly and feminine, we are also nature-loving, casual wearing aficionados. We will never be all fancy all the time. The best part, are companies like Giltee who are making sure that just because we like to be comfortable and run wild, we don’t have to look like scrubs doing it.

Plus, you know we have some serious local pride. It rivals that of Giltee’s founders who create all of their pieces based off of community Inspiration. Take one of the original t-shirts we received from them, “Have a Happy Milwaukee WI.” While we loved the slogan, we didn’t realize the significance until recently. Her Papa owned Finney’s West, a tavern in Kenosha Wisconsin. “Have a Happy…” was written right below the name. You might still be wondering, why?!  It’s applicable to whatever you do! Just be positive, get out there and live it up. What better slogan than that to encourage people towards spreading light in their lives. Plus, we always love us a family saying that spreads throughout a larger community.

Wisconsin means a number of things to us, chiefly that we’re a state that knows how to make the best of things. We get through Winters and still are crazy enough to do some outdoor activities (some of us more begrudgingly than others). Wisconsinites are always willing to be a good neighbor and lend a helping hand. In the Summer, you can find us celebrating the season at any outdoor event, usually with a beer and some fried food in hand. If you need to squeeze past us, just give us an “ope” and we’ll let you by no problem.

Plus, it gives the opportunity to take advantage of the many beautiful natural areas within our glorious state. Whether that means at the lake or a state park, or even just driving on the back highways or gazing at the sky; a beautiful scene isn’t hard to find. That’s where a ton of inspiration comes from in their t-shirt and hat designs. They’re easy to grab because they’re high-quality t-shirts and the slogans/designs are well thought out as well as meaningful. 

Once we’re out of high school and wear out the plethora of t-shirts we’ve accumulated, we’re left with free t-shirt giveaways at events that typically wear out after a couple of washes. Plus then we no longer have t-shirts proclaiming our pride in our school, but instead acting as an advertisement for whichever event you got it from. Giltee brings back the hometown pride, with a grown-up spin. It’s a t-shirt that still makes you look put together. The best part? Everything is completely reasonable. 

What are you waiting for? Go check out Giltee’s goodies, you won’t regret it!
You can head straight to the Aurora Women’s Blue Sky Tank here!

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Irish Fest

Last night we had the chance to visit Milwaukee’s Irish Fest. The weather couldn’t have cooperated more beautifully. We were initially a little worried about being chilly, but the sun warmed us until it set, and with a cool breeze we were very comfortable as we wandered the grounds. For those of you following along earlier in the Summer, Irish Fest and most other cultural festivals are held on the Summerfest grounds. Typically we attend Germanfest, which has always been a fun tradition, but this year we took a break as we were a bit event fatigued. Luckily Irish Fest messaged us and gifted us some tickets to head down and enjoy the experience. 

We just missed the opening ceremony, as it was difficult to get down there quickly after work. Irish Fest runs Thursday, August 15th through Sunday, August 18th, so there is plenty of time to join in on the world’s largest Irish celebration! Any time we hear about the irresistible combination of themed (fried) food, live music, and some beer, consider us lured in. We did some scoping of the traditional Irish fare being offered and after last night, we can conclude safely, that we love it. 

Being that it was our first time, we can’t speak to the crowd typical size. As we walked in, we were relieved to see that although there were plenty of people enjoying the first night, we wouldn’t be elbowing our way around as it usually happens at Summerfest. Some of the food vendors were closed probably just because of the smaller crowd size on the weeknight, but there were still ample options available and we took full advantage!

Whenever we visit festivals, fairs, etc; we love to share food. It’s always better to get a couple of bites of something and be able to try another new item than fill up on one thing. Plus you’re also risking not liking the new to you food you just spent good money on! So grab a friend you can split your grub with and enjoy as we do! To start us off strong, we stopped at Mulligan’s Irish Pub and grabbed the Reuben quesadilla. That was at the top of my list of items to try and I didn’t regret it! If anything now I’d like to make it at home. 

From there we grabbed a Sausage Roll from Mother Machree Strudel House. It was a top-notch Usinger’s sausage encased in a wonderfully flaky crust. It was like a gourmet corn dog, completely wonderful. As we enjoyed our first bites, we sat and took in the sounds of Backwest at the Miller Lite Stage. They are a traditional Irish music band and play some really fun classics while providing a backstory. Once we satiated our stomachs with the first round of food, we headed to find some beer. We ended up with the Terrapin IPA, which was new to us but had a great orange (citrusy) flavor.

We got to the grounds cutoff point (which might be shortened again because it was a weeknight but can’t confirm that) and found Winston’s. There was quite a line and as we scanned their menu, we realized it was for good reason. They have a plethora of incredible sounding options, and we intended to put it to the test. We ended up trying the Irish Egg Rolls, and oh my gosh were they more than we ever hoped! Perfectly fresh out of the deep fryer, with gooey wonderful insides.

Although we haven’t typically eaten a lot of Shepherd’s pie, for some reason the Shepherds Fries were calling our names. They are fresh fries, topped with Shepherd’s pie and melted cheddar cheese. The toppings were ample enough that we dug in with forks. It’s a play on the typical chili cheese fries and we loved it! The last thing we tried at Winston’s was their Toasted sandwich. It’s a corned beef sandwich on toasted marbled rye, with cheddar cheese and grilled onions. You can tell the corned beef was high quality and plentiful, we all just agree that we should have gone with the traditional Reuben because we missed the thousand island dressing. It was still a great sandwich, just hard because it was so similar to a Reuben!

While we passed around our food with sighs of contentment, we listened to Realta another Irish Band at the Aer Lingus stage. They had a lot of the traditional instruments, playing with uilleann pipes, whistles, flute, bouzouki, banjo, and bodhran for an alternative folk take on Irish traditional music. They mixed in some slower tunes and then had some livelier riffs, which we truly enjoyed! We had a blast trying to figure out which Irish instruments they were all strumming on.

As we were heading back out of the festival, you know it wouldn’t be us (especially down at the Summerfest grounds), if we didn’t make a stop at Cedar Crest Ice Cream. There we split their peanut butter ice cream sundae, to satisfy our sweet tooth and cap off a great experience. We loved our first visit to Irish Fest, and we will definitely be returning in the future. Next year they are celebrating their 40th year of Irish Fest, so it seems like a great time to return. Go check it out for yourself this weekend, or save the date for next year’s huge celebration! 

Peep the face you make when you remember you are sharing the sundae!

Outfit Details

Caitlin’s Shorts are linked here

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